Pau
by Qweb
Summary: The message told Danny Williams to choose between his partner and his daughter, and Danny would do anything for Grace. Set mid-first-season. Rated T for the autopsy scene if nothing else.
1. You Choose

_The question, dear reader, is: Do you trust me?_

_**Pau: Finished, ended, destroyed**_

**Pau**

**Chapter 1: You Choose**

— H50 —

The manila envelope came in the mail, neatly addressed with a laser-printed label that looked like it belonged to a charity. Detective Danny Williams almost just threw it away, but you didn't become a detective without a wide streak of curiosity.

He pulled out a stiff piece of paper, photo paper he could tell by the texture. The back was facing the flap, so he saw it first: the note that read, "You have two weeks to stop the Blue Skies investigation or …"

When he flipped the paper over, he choked back a cry and felt behind him for a chair because his knees had gone weak. There were two portraits side by side with rifle crosshairs neatly superimposed over the faces. One picture showed his boss Steve McGarrett and the other showed his daughter Grace. Beneath the pictures dark letters read, "You choose."

— H50 —

Thirteen days later …

Paramedics Ab Riley and Margrette Chandler parked their EMS ambulance under a tree across from the Honolulu Police Department. It was a popular lunch spot for paramedics because no one would dare try to jack their drug boxes with so many cops around.

They sat at a picnic table, eating sandwiches and idly watching the comings and goings at HPD.

"There's your friends from Five-0," Chandler commented, nodding at a pair passing on the sidewalk.

Danny Williams was arguing vehemently, but not loudly, with Steve McGarrett. Riley started to call a greeting, but hesitated when a wisp of breeze carried a snatch of conversation to him.

"Steve, the deadline is tomorrow. Please!"

"No, Danny, I can't. Look, it's just a bluff."

"We're talking about my daughter!"

"She'll be fine," Steve said impatiently. "We can protect her."

Danny's shoulders slumped. Riley thought the detective looked like hell and wondered if he'd been getting enough sleep.

When they reached the steps of HPD, Steve paused for a moment to look around. He noticed Riley who raised a hand in greeting. The commander didn't see Danny draw his gun. Shielding the movement with his body, Danny touched the muzzle to Steve's body just below the rib cage and fired.

Blood spurted. Steve dropped. Danny tossed his gun away as cops began to converge with weapons drawn. Danny knelt beside his boss, hands linked behind his head. Wide-eyed and gasping, Steve said his friend's name in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, Steve," Danny said with real regret. "If it's a choice between you and Grace, I've got to choose Grace."

At the sound of the shot, Riley had convulsed violently, sending his lunch onto the ground, to the joy of pigeons and seagulls. He grabbed his kit and ran to the steps, bulling his way to McGarrett's side and ignoring all the drawn weapons. His partner followed.

"Danny?" he said in disbelief.

"He just wouldn't listen, Riley," Danny said sadly as his hands were cuffed behind his back.

Riley applied bandages to the wound. "He's bleeding internally," he told Chandler, as she put an oxygen mask over the injured man's face.

She read off the blood pressure. It was dropping almost faster than she could keep up. She hung an IV, but it didn't help. Steve's eyes closed. His breath grew more and more shallow.

"We're losing him. We've got to get him to the hospital," Riley said.

Willing hands helped the paramedics hoist Steve's limp form onto the stretcher and into the ambulance. Riley stayed with the patient while Chandler took the wheel. She barreled out of the parking lot like an Indy driver. The police officers, including the two holding Danny's arms, watched the ambulance race away, siren screaming. It was far down the street, but still in sight, when the siren cut off and the speed dropped.

Danny sighed and bent his head. He looked at the blood covering the steps and one tear ran down his nose before the officers hustled him inside.

— H50 —

He waited an hour, staring at the wall of the interrogation room, seeing nothing but his personal nightmare.

Internal Affairs officer Sgt. Cage studied him through the two-way mirror. He brushed back his hair in disbelief. Williams killed McGarrett. It seemed impossible, despite all the witnesses. Sure, the two were always arguing; but they had also backed up each other to a ridiculous extent. There was even a rumor that McGarrett lied to federal agents on Williams' behalf. And Williams shot him in cold blood.

But as Cage studied the prisoner, he began to wonder. Williams looked haggard; his clothes seemed baggy, as if he'd recently lost weight. He appeared ill. Maybe he'd snapped from the stress. Mental illness was a sad hazard of a policeman's job. They saw so much suffering, sometimes they couldn't take it. Williams looked like he'd reached the end of his tether.

The IA officer entered the interrogation room.

"Cage," Danny acknowledged him. Cage read him his rights. Danny solemnly waived his right to a lawyer.

"Why Williams? Why kill your friend?"

"I couldn't … He wouldn't listen. He never listened," Danny said hesitantly. "I didn't want to kill him, but he brushed me off — again —and then my gun was in my hand." Danny closed his eyes and shuddered.

"Did you plan to kill him?" Cage asked.

A flash of the feisty Danny showed in his eyes, "If I'd planned to kill him, would I have done it on the steps of HPD?" Then his spirit faded again. He dropped his gaze to the tabletop.

"One of the men heard you say something about your daughter," Cage said.

"Leave her out of it, Cage," Danny said fiercely. "She has nothing to do with this. Isn't it bad enough that her father is a murderer." His voice caught. He hid his face against his shoulder.

Chin Ho Kelly burst into the room, followed by Kono Kalakaua. Chin looked wild, his hair ruffled and his shirt collar twisted. Kono's eyes were wide with shock.

"Kelly!" Cage warned, but Chin only had eyes for his teammate.

"Danny!" he said urgently. "Is it true? You shot Steve?"

Danny refused to meet his eyes. He focused on Cage.

"Sergeant Cage, I admit I shot Steve McGarrett. What more do you need? Do I have to talk to them?" he begged, flicking his eyes at his former friends.

"Danny!" Kono protested.

Cage thought Danny seemed exhausted, ready to drop. He hustled Chin and Kono out of the room.

"Danny, why?" Kono called, as Cage urged her out the door. Danny looked away.

The girl dropped onto a nearby bench and wept into her hands. Chin paced feverishly. Cage thought Chin was a dirty cop who'd escaped punishment and Cage had run afoul of Danny's abrasive personality in another investigation, but right now he felt sorry for all of them.

"Has Williams been sick?" he asked abruptly.

"What?" Chin asked, rubbing his hair into more disorder. Cage patiently repeated his question.

"He's lost weight," Kono said. Her eyes were red. Her face was wet and crumpled in distress, but she spoke calmly. "I don't think he's been sleeping well."

"How long has this been going on?"

The cousins exchanged glances, consulting without words.

"About two weeks," Chin estimated. "Ever since …"

"Since …?"

"Danny came in one morning and shut himself in Steve's office. They argued, not like they usually do," Kono said. "They argued and Danny got really angry and …" She hesitated.

"Scared," Chin contributed. "He was scared. Neither of them would tell us what it was about. Danny just said it was personal. After that, he pretty much stopped talking."

"Which is not normal for Williams," Cage said drily.

"Every morning he shut himself in with Steve and they argued some more. I thought Danny was asking Steve for something and Steve wouldn't or couldn't give it to him," Kono said. She rubbed her eyes furiously.

"Do you think he had a breakdown?" Cage asked.

Again the cousins consulted wordlessly.

"He must have," Kono said helplessly. "How could Danny have killed Steve?" Her voice caught. She swallowed hard; then continued quietly. "How could Danny have killed Steve unless he had a breakdown? They were friends," she said plaintively.

Cage looked back at the small, defeated man in the interrogation room.

"I'm going to ask for a psychiatric evaluation," he decided.

"I think you have to," Chin agreed. "Kono, we've got to go. We've got to call the governor before she hears this on the grapevine. We've got to tell her that her task force is pau."

Pau … finished.

— H50 —

While Chin and Kono called the governor, Cage visited the Medical Examiner.

Cage did not have a lot of experience with homicides. He'd come to IA out of fraud and robbery. Most of the Internal Affairs cases involved abuse of power, embezzlement, theft, sexual harassment and/or assault. He'd only investigated one case involving murder. He'd thought it was bad seeing Meka Hanamoa's body burned beyond visual recognition; but when he walked into the autopsy room, he gagged and had to turn away.

Medical Examiner Max Bergman, who, despite his name was a short, pudgy, Japanese man, was humming the 1812 Overture with sound effects when Cage walked in. Max was brilliant and dedicated, but a little odd.

McGarrett's body lay on the table. At least, Cage had to assume it was McGarrett's body. It was hard to tell when the last time you saw the man, he was standing tall and arrogant, and now he was a lump of meat with his chest flayed open in a Y-incision, his face peeled from his skull down to his chin and eyeballs staring out of a bloody skull. The only thing that looked remotely familiar were the sleeve tattoos on the muscular shoulders, and Cage had only seen a fraction of the tattoos before.

Max was using a surgical saw to remove the top of the skull when Cage entered. The sergeant had to call his name three times before Max heard him over the nauseating whine of the saw.

"Ah, Sgt. Cage, isn't it?" Max said pleasantly, shutting off the saw and lifting his face shield.

Cage spoke to the side wall, hardly able to spare Max's gruesome project a glance.

"I'm surprised you've gotten so far on the autopsy," he said.

"Ah, well, the EMTs brought the body here directly," Max said. He frowned disapprovingly. "It was not strictly according to protocol, but EMT Chandler is new and EMT Riley is always deeply distressed by the passing of a patient, all the more so because he knew Commander McGarrett." Max brightened. "Fortunately, I am fully competent to pronounce death, so no real harm done."

"Aren't you … I mean, doesn't it bother you to work on the body? You knew him, too?"

Max tilted his head. He looked mildly confused, as if Cage was speaking Portuguese while he himself spoke Spanish. "I thought the way I could pay proper tribute to Commander McGarrett was to perform a complete autopsy as promptly as possible."

"Why the skull? He was shot in the abdomen."

"True, but the commander apparently hit his head on the ground when he fell. I find signs of cerebral hemorrhage that I wish to document. However, you are correct, cause of death was massive internal hemorrhage from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The bullet entered beneath the ribcage, ricocheted off the spine and lodged beneath the fourth rib on the left side. The internal damage was severe. I doubt whether even a team of surgeons could have saved him. The bullet is there, in that jar."

Cage took the bullet, glad of an excuse to leave.

"Thank you, doctor," he said, but Max was already lowering his face shield.

Cage left hastily before the rotary saw could get up to speed.

— H50 —

Governor Patricia Jameson was conflicted. Danny Williams had killed the man she'd handpicked to head her task force, the son of her old friend Jack McGarrett. But Williams had served her well up until then. She didn't want to persecute him if he was mentally ill, but she didn't want him to get away with faking mental illness. She personally made arrangements for Danny to be transferred to the island's best psychiatric hospital for evaluation.

Cage was surprised that Danny didn't protest.

Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, seated in his holding cell at HPD, Danny just shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?"

"I'm a dead man, Cage. In prison, between the cons who hate cops and the guards who hate cop killers, I won't last a year," Danny said frankly, not as if it mattered much. "I might last longer in a psych hospital, I don't know. I don't think I'm crazy, but crazy people don't, do they?"

His blue eyes were clouded with sadness.

"My training officer used to say my temper would be the death of me, but it was the death of Steve, instead."

He dropped his eyes and refused to speak again.

— H50 —

The next afternoon, they loaded Danny into the back of an unmarked, open van with bench seats along the sides. The driver's seat was separated from the cargo area by a heavy metal grille in a diamond pattern. There was a driver up front and a guard in back with a shotgun. Cage steadied Danny as he climbed into the van with his hands cuffed behind him.

"This would be easier with my hands free," Danny said idly.

"The hospital isn't that far. You'll manage," Cage said.

Danny settled himself on the driver's side bench with Cage and the guard opposite. The prisoner found he could get a grip on the back edge of the bench to keep himself from bouncing around as the van set off.

Danny kept his eyes on the front, catching glimpses of the outside world through the grille and the windshield.

About 10 minutes into the trip, he saw a rapid flickering of sunlight. He gripped the back of the bench with both hands and took a deep breath.

An armor piercing bolt smashed through the windshield, imbedding itself in the passenger seat. A gas canister hissed as the driver swerved in shock and ran the van into the curb where it jolted to a halt.

Gas billowed into the van. The driver coughed once and tilted to the side. The guard tried to raise his shotgun, but the weight pulled him over and he nosedived to the floor.

Cage realized Danny was holding his breath and did the same. Their eyes met as Cage clawed for his weapon. Danny smiled merrily and launched forward, planting his shoulder in Cage's midsection. The breath whooshed out of the IA officer and when he inhaled involuntarily, his eyes rolled up and he collapsed.

The collision had driven the air out of Danny's lungs as well. He curled up comfortably on the floor, inhaled deeply and closed his eyes contentedly.

It was the sort of neighborhood where people did not investigate funny noises. No one came out to see the tall figure wearing a gas mask and clad in sweats and a hoodie. He followed up the missile attack before the coughing stopped. He smashed the driver's window, reached in to open the door, shoved the driver over, tossed his launcher on the floor and took the wheel. The attacker drove away, leaving only a few bits of broken glass to mark his path.

Concealed in a nearby garage, the gas-masked man pried open the rear door of the van and let the bad air out. He checked the men inside. Pulse and respiration seemed normal enough. Satisfied, he casually hoisted Danny over one shoulder and carried the smaller man like a sack of potatoes to the back of a battered van with surfboards hung on both sides.

He laid the unconscious detective on his side on an open sleeping bag, lifting Danny's head and folding a corner underneath to serve as a pillow. He looked at the handcuffs behind Danny's back, saw they were secure and shut the back door.

Returning to the police transport, he deposited the driver in the back with the other officers and shut the door.

Back at his van, he removed the gas mask, revealing a head of spiky, bleach-blond hair and a goatee to match. A shiny burn scar tugged at one cheek, lifting a corner of his lip in a perpetual sneer. Beneath his hoodie and sweats, he wore a tank top and gaudy flowered board shorts. His bare shoulders were evenly tanned, with pale hair on his arms and legs.

He snapped off his gloves, tossed them and the sweats in the back with the still-handcuffed prisoner. He drove off, just another surfer headed for the beach.

— H50 —

Disheveled and furious, Sgt. Cage stormed into the Five-0 headquarters backed by two officers with weapons drawn. The sergeant saw Chin in his office in conversation with Kono and banged open the door. "Kelly!"

He halted abruptly. The men with him hid their guns behind their backs. Despite all the glass walls, they had somehow overlooked the other occupants of the office.

Governor Jameson's two aides looked alarmed at the intrusion. The governor looked annoyed.

"Cage?" Chin's one word demanded an explanation.

"How long have you been here?" It wasn't quite clear whether Cage was addressing Kelly or Jameson. The governor answered.

"We've been here …" She glanced at her watch and seemed surprised by the passage of time. "… more than two hours, planning the commander's memorial service. Why?" she asked, sharply, sounding like the prosecutor she had been.

"Williams has escaped."

"What?" "How?"

"He had help from outside. Someone fired knockout gas into the transport. When we came to, Williams was gone," Cage said bitterly.

Chin's eyes blazed. He slammed both hands down on the desk. "And so you immediately thought of me! Why would I help Danny escape?"

"He was your friend," Cage said weakly.

"So was McGarrett," Chin countered. "Steve gave me a second chance when no one else would." The look he gave Cage scorched like a flamethrower. "I would never help anyone who killed hm."

"Sgt. Cage!" An officer ran in. "We were too late to block Williams' bank account. He emptied it two days before he shot McGarrett."

"Chin. Chin, the picture," Kono said quietly.

One of the aides handed Cage a manila envelope.

"We found this in the commander's desk a few minutes ago," Jameson said.

Cage pulled out the picture that demanded Danny make a choice between his friend and his daughter.

"Danny would do anything for Grace. Anything," Kono said in a choked voice. "Danny," she said sadly. "Why didn't you come to us?"

"He did," Chin realized. "He went to Steve. Tried to get him to back off the Blue Skies case, but the boss wouldn't back down." Chin shook his head in realization. "'He wouldn't listen.' That's what Danny said. 'He wouldn't listen.'"

"But Chin, you see what all this means?" Kono asked her cousin. "The bank account and the escape."

"Yeah, cuz, I see it." Chin sat down heavily and put his face n his hands.

"What?" Cage demanded.

"Danny planned it," Kono said plaintively. "He didn't snap and shoot Steve on impulse. I could almost have understood it if he'd just lost it. He loves his daughter so much. But he paid someone to break him out. He planned Steve's murder." Kono rubbed her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks.

"And he played us, cuz. He played all of us with that mental illness scam." Chin didn't look up, but his voice was heavy with disgust.

Jameson glared at the IA officer. "I think you have a job to do, sergeant," she said pointedly. "Find Williams!"

"Yes ma'am!" He collected his men and ran out.

Chin wrapped his arms around his cousin and let her hide her face against his chest.

— H50 —

The surf van headed out of the city toward the jungle interior of the island. Danny didn't regain consciousness as swiftly as the driver expected, but he decided the prisoner had drifted from the anesthetic into a natural sleep. Finally a change in the prisoner's breathing, a sense of tension in the back, alerted the blond man to the detective's awakening.

"You were supposed to hold your breath, Danno," Steve McGarrett said.

**To be continued**

_A/N: See how nice I was not to leave it two paragraphs back?_


	2. Williams and McGarrett

**Pau**

**Chapter 2: Williams and McGarrett**

At the sound of his partner's familiar voice, the tension flowed out of Danny's body. He relaxed with a catch in his breath that might have been a sob, but the driver resolutely didn't hear it. It didn't matter that Danny had let the victim make his own blank cartridge and load the murder weapon. It didn't matter that Danny had felt the Kevlar vest and the special effects blood bag when he pressed the gun to Steve's abdomen. It didn't matter that they both knew what they were doing. It was still dangerous to play with guns and, in the back of his mind, Danny had suffered the nagging worry that he'd really killed his best friend.

"You were supposed to be faster," Danny answered. "You're Aquaman, not me."

"Sorry about the cuffs," Steve apologized. "They're not standard. I'll have to cut them off in the cabin."

"The cuffs I can live with. I'm not sure about this cockamamie plan."

"It was your plan," Steve protested.

"So who should know better that it's cockamamie," Danny said logically. "Now I'm on the run, wanted for killing a cop, with every cop on the island looking for me and my daughter thinks I'm a murderer."

His voice cracked at that, because all the rest was nothing compared to Grace's loss of faith in her father.

"And even if the cockamamie plan works, and we catch the bad guys, Grace will still know that I lied to her." Danny bit his lip, trying to control himself.

Steve understood that Danny had suffered the most stress in the plan so far. While Steve had been playing around with peroxide and disguises, Danny had been in a cell wondering if he was really a murderer or not.

Steve tried to lighten the mood, "Hey, don't get all emotional now," he warned. "You can't blow your nose when your hands are cuffed."

Danny chuckled, sniffed and wiped his eyes on his shoulder.

"We can still turn around," Steve offered. "We can tell everyone this was a training exercise and they all failed."

"No, we can't," Danny said flatly. "Then the bad guys would know about the fake murder and they'd kill my daughter. I'd rather be shot by a SWAT sniper, than risk one hair on Grace's head. But what if…"

"They won't kill her," Steve said hastily, but with assurance. "They'll keep her alive to have leverage over you."

"Hence the cockamamie plan," Danny said wearily.

They drove for a while in silence. "When my mother comes to visit," Danny said, as if he was certain that things would return to normal some day, "You can be my witness when I tell her she was wrong."

"About what."

"She always said I couldn't talk without using my hands, yet here I am."

Steve chuckled. "But it's driving you crazy, isn't it?"

"It's — what does Toast say? — it's problematic."

"Almost there," Steve said encouragingly.

— H50 —

Governor Jameson watched Cage and his men leave, then asked her aides to give her a few minutes with the remaining members of Five-0.

When they shut the door behind them, Jameson said, "Well, they're on their own now. May God watch over them."

"Amen," the cousins agreed.

"Thanks for the alibi," Chin commented.

"It works both ways. Cage might remember that I arranged the psych eval and the transportation schedule," the governor said. "How do you do that?" she asked curiously, as Kono brushed tears from her reddened eyes.

"I stick my finger in my eye," the girl said. "The more you rub it, the redder it gets."

"We've sent Cage off looking for Williams' accomplice. I hope he never thinks that the one person Danny knew who could pull off such a rescue was Steve McGarrett," Jameson said.

"Why would he?" Kono asked. "He saw Steve's body on the autopsy table."

"And could hardly keep his lunch down, according to Max," Chin said with a mean sense of satisfaction. Cage had hounded Chin off the Honolulu Police force. Any discomfort the Internal Affairs officer endured was small payback for the suffering he'd caused Chin.

"How did Max manage that?" Jameson asked.

"He made a latex mask of Steve's face and used photos of Steve's tattoos to make temporary tattoo transfers," Chin said. "I think he enjoyed himself. He called it arts and crafts."

"He said the body was only superficially like Steve's — a young man with muscular arms; but he's surprised how few visitors really study the corpses," Kono said.

"'Surprised.' That sounds like Max," the governor acknowledged. "Brief me on the Blue Skies investigation. Commander McGarrett couldn't spare much time. He just asked me to trust him."

"The ironic thing is that it was already too late for Malcolm Heyes when Danny received the threat," Chin Ho began. "The case started with the murder of three officers of the Blue Skies Investment Fund and the disappearance of $100 million from that fund."

Jameson looked rueful. "A fund that's part of several state and city pension plans."

"Including HPD," Chin said.

"Steve and I investigated the murders while Chin and Danny followed the money," Kono put in. "For someone who says he can't balance his checkbook, Danny's really good at financials. He worked with the SEC on several cases back in New Jersey."

"We were surprised when the money linked to Heyes," Chin said. "He's got so much money, he hardly needs to steal."

"He's such a nice man," Jameson said regretfully. "He always seemed practically perfect. None of those irritating habits that most people have."

"Danny says that's one of the traits of a sociopath," Kono quoted her friend. "That's how he profiled Heyes. Heyes didn't need to steal the money, but he saw an opportunity and took it. Never mind three deaths and thousands of people losing their pensions. That's why Danny was so scared when he got the threat. Someone else might hesitate to kill an 8-year-old girl, but a sociopath has no empathy. Heyes would kill Grace just because he said he would."

Chin chuckled. "When Danny showed us the photo, I thought Steve was going to go ballistic."

"It was weird. Steve was ranting and Danny was quiet. Until Steve realized Danny was quiet," Kono said. "And Steve asked what Danny was thinking."

"And Danny said, 'I think I need to kill you.'"

"I would have liked to see that," Jameson said with a chuckle.

Chin shook his head, remembering Steve going speechless and then ferocious. "It was only funny for a second; then Danny gave us the outline of the plan he'd come up with that sleepless night after he got the photo."

"And he expects Heyes to get in touch with him?" the governor asked.

"Danny knows he will. I think he's got Heyes tabbed. Danny predicted Heyes would call him, and two days later a burn phone turned up on his doorstep," Chin said.

"Heyes manipulated Danny into killing Steve. Danny thinks Heyes won't be able to resist playing with his new toy," Kono said.

Jameson liked the confidence the cousins had in their New Jersey teammate. She didn't tell them that she'd been against the plan in the first place, but Steve's faith in Danny had sold her on it. "You called him one of your best men," Steve had reminded her. "You need to trust him."

And in the end she had trusted them.

She pushed herself off the edge of the desk. "I'd better go. Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

"Just keep Danny's money safe. It's his daughter's legacy if …" Real tears began to run down Kono's face. "Poor Danny. Everybody's hunting him now, Chin. He's all alone."

Chin pulled her face to his chest again and stroked her straight dark hair.

"He's not alone now," he reminded his cousin. "He's got Steve with him. Williams and McGarrett. They're unstoppable."

"My two best men," Jameson said heavily.

— H50 —

On a winding dirt road, Steve found the small cabin that belonged to a friend of one of Kono's many cousins. It was off the beaten path, yet not very far from Honolulu.

Steve parked behind the house, slung Danny over his shoulder and carried his partner into the house.

"Show off," upside down Danny complained.

Carefully protecting the back of Danny's head, Steve offloaded him into a wooden chair, then leaped back spreading his hands wide in a "Tada!" gesture. Danny got his first good look at his disguised partner — spiky blond hair and bleached goatee, tat-free bronzed shoulders, burn scar on his cheek, tank top and fluorescent board shorts — and began to laugh hysterically. Really. Hysterically. The release of tension slammed him down and rolled him over like a wipeout on the Pipeline, until the laughter became tears and Steve got seriously concerned. He gripped Danny's shoulder and held a bottle of water to his lips.

"Breathe, Danny, breathe. Here, have some water," he coaxed.

Danny struggled for control and swallowed obediently.

"Now blow," Steve commanded, holding a tissue to his friend's nose.

Memories of doing this for a two-year-old Grace threatened Danny's self-control again, but he disciplined himself with an effort.

"Thanks," he said when he could breathe through his nose again. "Sorry."

Steve clapped him on the shoulder. "I understand. You've been living under stress for more than two weeks. Just let me get the cuffs off before you blow up again. This is disgusting," he said as he tossed the tissue away.

"I couldn't shake the feeling I'd really killed you," Danny confessed. "All that blood."

"It's really mine, too, if anyone checks the DNA," Steve said with an odd sort of pride. "Riley drew a pint just an hour before we started our show."

He got the bolt cutters. From behind Danny he ventured, "So, you liked the disguise?"

"You do know you look ridiculous?"

"But nothing like Steve McGarrett."

Danny pictured his dark-haired, clean-shaven partner with his usual khaki cargo pants and the dark T-shirt that was no more "typically Hawaiian" than Danny's tie and button down shirt.

"Nothing like Super SEAL," Danny agreed. "But bleached chin whiskers won't fool facial recognition software."

"True, but no one's looking for me. Steve McGarrett's dead," the commander said. "Hold still, I don't want to cut you."

He snipped the cuffs from both Danny's wrists. The detective sighed with relief and rubbed his wrists.

"But everyone's looking for me," Danny reminded his friend. "I don't think a little hair dye is going to help."

"Chin said he tweaked the computer's reference sample. It will be looking for someone with eyes wider apart and a face that's not so long, something like that. Anyway, Chin said the computer won't see you as a match to Danny Williams and when it comes to computers, I trust Chin."

"I trust him for more than computers," Danny retorted. "But I still stand out in a crowd."

The detective had no illusions. Once he'd gotten known in a community, he hadn't been much use for undercover work. Below average height with a distinctive long face, he just didn't blend in.

"Well, we'll do what we can and if you're right about Heyes, you won't need to wander around the city ducking traffic cams," Steve said with a shrug.

"He's a sociopath," Danny said flatly. "He won't be able to resist keeping me under control. He'll call."

"First, you need to get some food and some rest."

Danny was starving and didn't protest. While Steve prepared sandwiches from supplies in a cooler, Danny cleaned up; then changed out of the prison jumpsuit and into jeans and a Superman T-shirt.

"Superman? You gave me Superman?"

"People will look at the logo, not at your face," Steve said with a grin. "Here, eat," he commanded, setting down a substantial sandwich, the bottle of water and an apple in front of his partner and taking the same for himself.

Danny caught his wrist and studied it. "You even bleached the hair on your arms and legs?"

"Peroxide," McGarrett said. "The little details make a difference, according to the disguise expert who taught me. Itches like crazy, though," he added, scratching his shin.

"How'd you get rid of the tats?"

"Theatrical makeup. I've got some black dye for your hair and shoes with lifts to make you seem taller," Steve said. "And that Don Johnson beard has got to go."

Danny snorted. "It's not a fashion statement. When I shave it, I get a lot of in-grown hairs. It gives me pimples. I look like I'm 17," Danny said in disgust.

Steve chewed thoughtfully. "As good a disguise as any," he said finally.

Danny grimaced, but broke off eating to shave — to give the pimple effect more time to develop; then he went back to his sandwich. Steve knew how seriously Danny took the threat to his daughter by the fact that he'd hardly ranted about anything since he'd received the fateful photo.

They ate the rest of their meal in companionable silence. When Danny was almost done, Steve took out a pill bottle and shook out a capsule.

"What's that?"

"Sleeping pill. Riley gave me a couple."

"Why?"

"Because he's getting to know us too well," Steve answered. "Danny, you need to rest or you're not going to be able to handle this."

"Where'd Riley get pills? He's no pharmacist." Danny hoped their paramedic friend hadn't stolen the pills. He'd risked enough for their plan.

"They're his own prescription, for the bad nights after he loses a patient."

Danny's eyes strayed to the burn phone on the table — the phone that had appeared in his mailbox two days after the fearful photo.

"He can wait," Steve said firmly, holding out the pill.

Danny knew he was right. He took the pill with his last bite of food and last swallow of water; then lay down on the narrow bunk.

"I'll be right here," Steve told him. He began cleaning a pistol — not his usual weapon; that was in evidence at HPD.

There was something very reassuring about Super SEAL with a gun in his hand, even if he did look more like Guy Fieri than Steve McGarrett right now. Danny closed his eyes and was gone.

Danny slept through the night and late into the morning. Steve stayed on guard until it got dark; then went to sleep, relying on the alarms he'd set up around the building while Danny was in jail.

In the morning (OK, it was close to noon), after they had breakfast, Danny washed and then sat on the wooden chair while Steve played hair salon.

"You can't tell me you learned this in the SEALs or the Boy Scouts," Danny said while Steve dyed his partner's hair dark brown.

"I took lessons from the CIA," Steve answered, as he toweled off the excess moisture. He studied the effect and nodded. Much darker than normal, but not so dark it looked unnatural.

"The CIA, so this is part of your super secret, 'if I told you I'd have to kill you,' military past."

"Pretty much," Steve agreed.

While Danny's hair dried, Steve began applying makeup. He'd intended to make Danny look older, but the pimples that were beginning to irritate Danny's chin changed his plan. Younger was tougher, but he thought he could manage.

While Danny sat patiently, and mostly silently, Steve used brushes and makeup as if he was an artist painting a portrait. The most important part was filling in and smoothing out the lines around Danny's eyes and across his forehead without the makeup being too obviously makeup.

When he thought he had the face right, Steve went back to the hair that was now dry. He put in the same gel he used on his own spiky hair and then combed Danny's hair forward instead of smoothing it back. Steve flipped the gelled hair up over his eyes like a cockscomb, appropriate for his gamecock partner. He twiddled with it a long time, unable to get the look he envisioned; then he noticed a tear trickle down his partner's otherwise impassive face.

"Hey, did I get this stuff in your eye? Sorry, it's been awhile since I did this."

He got a tissue and began to dab at the corner of Danny's eye. Danny batted his hand away and forcibly removed the tissue. He blotted his own eyes, careful of the makeup.

"You didn't get it in my eye," he said in a rough voice.

"Then what …?"

"Can't you leave it alone? Can't you ever allow me a modicum of privacy?" Steve just looked at him. Danny threw up his hands. "Fine! The only one who ever plays with my hair is Grace. Happy?" He folded his arms and looked away.

"Hey, you'll see her again," Steve said quietly. "She'll know you aren't a murderer."

"And then she'll know I'm a liar. She'll never trust me again," Danny said morosely.

Steve had to pull Danny out of his funk. "I think you worry too much," he said. "I mean, hell, Sundance, the fall will probably kill us!"

The corner of Danny's mouth twitched in a tiny smile. "You mean you're letting me be Robert Redford?"

Steve shrugged. "I was feeling generous. Besides, Paul Newman isn't half bad." He gave a last flick to Danny's hair and handed him a hoodie. Danny stood up to look in the full-length mirror.

"Geez," Steve said. "You look about 12."

Not 12, not really, but with the lines of experience smoothed out by makeup and the red spots growing on his chin, he could easily pass for early 20s at a quick glance. Danny slouched, hands in his pockets, and suddenly looked even younger. He's done this before, Steve realized.

"Forget the lifts," Steve said. "It works better if you slouch like that and look smaller. But it needs something."

"A skateboard and an iPod with ear buds," Danny suggested drily. He shook his head at his reflection. "Bobby Jenks, I didn't expect to see you again."

"Bobby Jenks?"

"Kono isn't the first cop to be recruited for undercover work straight out of the academy. Those young, fresh faces make great bait for narco operations — and vice."

Vice. Undercover vice work could be nasty. "How long?" Steve asked.

"Two years and then we hit a high profile case and my face became too well known. I was happy to retire Bobby and move to a patrol car. Didn't you ever read my personnel file?"

"Most of it," Steve defended himself. "But it's soooo long and it gets monotonous — award here, commendation there."

"Flattery does not excuse you." But Danny sounded more relaxed. He'd been deep under before and survived, he reminded himself. And last time he hadn't had Super SEAL watching his back.

"Time to turn the phone on," he said.

Steve agreed.

— H50 —

The burn phone rang about half an hour after Danny turned it on.

"Show time," Steve said tightly.

"I knew you'd call," Danny said into the receiver.

"Why didn't you answer sooner?" Heyes said peevishly.

"I was busy," Danny answered. "I did what you wanted. Why can't you leave me alone?"

"I think you'd be useful. Very useful."

"With every cop on the island looking for me? I doubt it," Danny said scornfully.

"How'd you break out of jail?" Heyes asked with real curiosity.

"I paid someone, someone I met on the job. I did him a favor, but he didn't like McGarrett at all. He was happy to give a black eye to the cops by helping me get away. Is there a point to this conversation?"

"I want your help," Heyes said eagerly. "I want you to teach me things. In return, I'll help you get to the mainland with enough cash to start a new life."

"Well …"

"To sweeten the deal, I have a little gift for you."

Danny heard noises away from the phone; then his heart clenched as a familiar English accent demanded to know what was going on.

Steve couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but he saw the color drain from his partner's face.

"Here, honey," Heyes said in a voice oozing sweetness. "Say hello to your father."

"Daddy?" the girl's voice said hesitantly.

"Grace," Danny said hoarsely, and then Steve went white, too.

— H50 —

_A/N: Did you think you'd get a whole story without an evil cliffie?_


	3. What Were You Thinking!

**Pau**

**Chapter 3: What Were You Thinking!**

Chin and Kono were hard at work in Chin's office. Their part of the mission was to finish compiling the evidence for the Blue Skies case — without tipping off Heyes.

They were beginning to see the end of the tunnel, when a uniformed officer escorted a visitor into the office.

"He's looking for Five-0," the officer said.

"This is it. What's left of it," Kono said. She brought the man into her office, which didn't have important papers all over it. Chin joined them.

The tall, dark-haired man rubbed his hands nervously. "I'm sorry, I don't really know your names. Grace just calls you Kono and Uncle Chin."

The penny dropped, starting a very scary thought process. "Mr. Edwards?"

Step-Stan nodded.

"I'm Chin Ho Kelly and this is Officer Kono Kalakaua. What's wrong?"

"Grace got in trouble for fighting at school," Stan explained, rubbing his hands together nervously. "Some kid named Tommy made a comment about her father and she gave him a black eye. Grace … Grace refuses to believe that her father killed Commander McGarrett.

"Rachel went to pick her up. They didn't come home right away, but I wasn't worried. I thought maybe they'd stopped to get groceries or ice cream. But it's been hours. Rachel isn't answering her cell."

He appealed to Chin. "I told this to Sgt. Cage. He seemed to think Danny might have kidnapped them. Do you think it's true? Do you think they're with Danny? I'd feel better if I knew that was true."

"Why?" Chin said, though he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

"Because Danny would never hurt them," Stan said simply.

The cousins exchanged a concerned glance.

"We didn't expect this," Chin said. "This is end game."

"I think we have to tell him," Kono said, nodding at Stan.

Without naming Heyes, Chin quickly explained the undercover operation.

"So McGarrett isn't dead. Grace was right," Stan said with a quirk of a smile. "But now she and Rachel are in danger?"

"I don't think they're hurt," Chin said hastily. "I think the suspect wants them as leverage against Danny."

Stan considered the situation. He was frightened for his wife and her daughter; but less so knowing Danny was involved.

"If this criminal is threatening Grace, then I'd put my money on Danny," the businessman said. "He can be awfully scary where his daughter's safety is concerned." Stan knew that for a fact. "What do you want me to do?"

"Go home. Stay inside," Chin said.

"And try not to worry," Kono added.

"I don't think I can manage the last part, but I'll do the rest," Stan said, as he left.

The cousins regarded each other for a long moment.

"This doesn't really change the plan," Chin said thoughtfully. "It just accelerates it."

Kono nodded. "Danny always expected Heyes to contact him," she said, thinking aloud. "Then he was going to get close to the lunatic and collect as much evidence as possible before making an arrest."

"While Steve provided backup and a liaison with us," Chin agreed. "But now Heyes has provided Danny with readymade evidence by kidnapping Rachel and Grace."

"So all Danny and Steve have to do is rescue them and arrest Heyes and the whole case will be wrapped up," Kono said sarcastically. "And they can't call us for help because Cage is monitoring our phones."

"If they can't call us, we have to figure out where Heyes is ourselves," Chin said practically.

The cousins turned back to their papers.

"Heyes has two properties that are private enough to keep prisoners," Kono suggested.

"This one's closest." Chin pointed to the map. "If we don't find anything there, we can go on to the other one."

"And if it isn't either?"

"Then Danny and Steve are on their own," Chin said somberly.

— H50 —

"Grace, are you OK? Is your mother all right?" Danny asked anxiously.

"We're OK, Daddy. Two men got in the car when Mommy picked me up at school. They made her drive out of the city. I don't know where we are."

"It's OK, monkey. I'm going to come get you."

Heyes took the phone back. "Now, wasn't that a nice surprise?" he said in the syrupy voice that led Danny to nickname him Mr. Butterworth. He really sounded like he'd done something clever. Danny controlled his fury with an effort, because he knew the sociopath simply wouldn't understand.

"All right. We've got a deal. I'll do whatever you want. Don't hurt Grace and Rachel."

"See, I knew you'd come around to my point of view," Heyes said smugly.

"Where are you?"

Heyes told him how to find the old ranch property he'd bought. "We're out in the barn. We'll be waiting," he said gaily.

— H50 —

Danny turned the phone off and stood there shaking.

"Grace?" Steve asked.

"And Rachel. He's got them both." Danny slammed the phone on the table. "Damn Cage. Why didn't he put a watch on the escaped prisoner's daughter? Stupid, useless IA officer!" He stared at the table for a long minute and then stood up. "Come on."

"Where?"

Danny told him the address. "I wish we could call Chin and Kono," he said wistfully as they climbed into the surfer van.

"Cage has their phones tapped for sure. He doesn't trust Chin at all. He'd block them from answering your call and stop us from getting to Heyes," Steve answered.

"We need to check the place out before I walk into the trap," Danny said.

Steve scoffed at him for stating the obvious. "I'm a SEAL. Recon is second nature."

There were times that having a big, tough commando on his side was comforting, Danny thought. "What's first nature?" he asked.

"Killing people who hurt my friends," Steve said seriously.

Very comforting.

— H50 —

Steve reconnoitered the ranch and reported back. Danny shook his head. All Steve's hard work on his disguise and it proved too gaudy for recon. He'd smeared mud in the blond hair and changed to a dark shirt and camouflage pants and pretty much looked like the old Steve McGarrett, except for the mud streaked across his bearded face.

"Two outside guards," Steve reported. "I took care of the one at the rear. I'll get the one at the front after he lets you in. I took a peek inside after I took out the guard. It's some kind of museum for classic cars. There are at least six men guarding Rachel and Grace, not counting Heyes himself, and two of the guards have semis. So what do we do now?" Steve asked, leaving the decision up to Danny because his family was involved.

"We do what I always tell you to do, Steven," Danny said severely. "We call for backup."

Steve turned to object. How could they call for backup when Danny Williams was a fugitive and Steve McGarrett was dead; but Danny already had his phone to his ear. He held up one finger to halt Steve's words.

"I just saw that cop killer," Danny said in a hoarse voice over the 9-1-1 operator's greeting. "Yeah, Williams, that one. He's got dark hair now and pimples on his chin, but it was him." Danny gave the address. "You'd better hurry, I heard a woman scream, and a kid. He might have hostages." Then he hung up.

Steve regarded him with fearful awe.

"What were you thinking?" he protested. "That's not backup. That's a firing squad!"

"I couldn't choose between Grace and you," Danny said, without meeting his partner's eyes. "Choosing between Grace and me is easy."

Steve gripped his shoulder tightly, forcing Danny to look at him. "It's not going to come to that," he promised.

Danny gave him a wry smile. "We'd better get in there," he said. "I'll go in and distract them while you go in the back, then you do what you do best, while I try to rescue my girls."

"What about Heyes?"

"Alive would be best," Danny said regretfully. "Then maybe we can get some of the money back."

Steve shook his head as he fell in beside his friend. "Now I know how you feel when I use a grenade to break a lock."

"We must have switched personalities when we switched hair color," Danny offered.

"I never turned myself in to the police."

"Only because I thought of it first," Danny retorted. "Steve, don't get yourself killed. I need you alive to prove my innocence. Prison orange does not suit my complexion."

— H50 —

The dispatcher relayed the call to Cage. He called SWAT and put out the word to patrol not to approach the address. Williams was armed and dangerous and had hostages.

Chin and Kono were out of the car checking out the first property when the original calls went out. When they got back to the Cruze, they headed for the second property. They were unaware that Cage was already on their way, until the governor called them with a heads up. Kono flipped on the lights and siren, but Cage and his SWAT team were closer to the ranch.

— H50 —

Danny approached the barn openly in the gathering dusk.

"Get out of here, kid," said a short but hefty guard carrying a shotgun.

"You flatter me, but that doesn't mean I'm taking you to the prom. Open up. Your boss sent for me."

The guard started at the adult voice. He pulled a square of newspaper out of his pocket and studied it. He looked back and forth at least six times. Danny crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently, but secretly he was glad. The delay gave Steve more time to get into position.

"You're Williams," the guard finally acknowledged.

"Einstein."

"Good disguise," the unflappable guard said. He patted Danny down. "Really? A vest?"

"Every cop on the island is looking for me, smart guy. Ergo, a vest," Danny replied.

The guard considered. "OK, but in case you cause any trouble, I'm telling everyone to shoot you in the head."

Danny shrugged. "Better than going back to jail."

The guard continued the search, finding the gun clipped to the back of Danny's belt and the one in his ankle holster.

"We good now? Because I'd be rethinking the prom if I didn't already have a date."

"Wiseass," the man said without heat.

He unlocked the door and sardonically bowed Danny inside. "Step right in, buttercup. The boss is in the showroom, straight ahead on the ground floor. You can't miss it."

"Thanks," Danny said and slammed his fist into the guard's midsection.

The breath rushed out of the guard's lung. Though he blinked in surprise, he reached for Danny, until a muscular arm wrapped him in a chokehold.

"I don't think I introduced you to my date, buttercup," Danny whispered in the guard's ear just before the man passed out.

While Steve plasticuffed and gagged the unconscious guard, Danny retrieved his weapons. Danny took the guard's gun and put it in a pocket — can you ever have too many guns when you're going into a firefight? He also found a switchblade — totally illegal — and kept it for himself.

Steve clapped his partner on the shoulder for luck; then vanished around the corner of the barn.

Danny counted slowly to fifteen; then entered, shutting the barn door behind him.

— H50 —

The old barn had been converted into an antique auto museum. The décor was modern, all clear Plexiglas and gleaming white metal. Crosshatched stanchions rose to the ceiling bearing spotlights aimed at the gleaming steel and chrome masterpieces of the early 20th century — Bugatti Gran Prix, Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Auburn Phaeton, Austro Daimler Sport Touring — cars Danny wouldn't have recognized if they hadn't been labeled.

A gleaming white balcony was suspended above the back half of the barn where the hayloft would have been. The loft contained all the trappings of a luxury suite — plush chairs, wet bar, kitchenette. It was a vantage point where Heyes could look down and contemplate his collection.

Danny threaded his way between the cars, following the sound of voices. He paused in a pool of shadow between two spotlights.

A familiar English accent said, "Do you drive them?"

Danny's heart leapt to hear his ex alive and using her "making polite conversation with a crashing bore" voice.

"Yes, my dear, of course," the unctuous voice of Heyes replied. "You can't keep a classic car alive if you don't drive it once in awhile. Everything in my collection is fully fueled and ready to go."

Oh help, Danny thought. A room full of cars filled with gasoline and Rambo Steve about to attack. Danny envisioned movie explosions and bodies burned beyond recognition. He wished he had communications with Steve, but they had been unable to take anything that might show up in an Internal Affairs audit. They had handguns only, to defend against six men, two of whom had semiautomatics.

Moving forward, Danny gained sight of his girls. In a pool of floodlight, Rachel was tied to a stylish metal kitchen chair. Grace was tethered to the chair by a rope that wrapped around her wrists. She crouched at her mother's side, leaning against Rachel's leg.

Danny studied the guards who stood in pairs, two on either side of the room. One of the guards on Danny's right held a semiautomatic. One of the left-hand pair cradled a full-on machine gun. Two more, armed only with handguns in shoulder holsters, kept close to Heyes who faced Rachel at a politely conversational distance. Oops, and there was a seventh guard coming out of the darkness to stand next to Rachel. He held a pistol negligently in his hand.

Danny waited a moment to see if any more men appeared, then took a deep breath and stepped into the light.

"I didn't ask for this," the detective said.

With his dark hair and youthful garb, Rachel almost didn't recognize her ex, but Grace had no doubt.

"Daddy!" Grace cried. She would have run to her father, except for the rope tying her to the chair.

"I thought you'd be pleased," Heyes said. "You can dispose of your ex and take your daughter with you to the mainland."

"Why do you make difficulties for yourself like this?" Danny asked curiously. "You didn't need the money from Blue Skies. Why did you take it?"

Heyes puzzled over the question. "I saw the opportunity and couldn't resist the challenge. It really wasn't much bother. And it's always nice to have an extra $100 million lying around. I can make a big donation to the police widows and orphans. Governor Jameson always likes that."

"It wasn't much bother? What about the three people you had killed?"

Heyes shrugged. "They got in my way."

"And now you've kidnapped my ex-wife and my daughter. What were you thinking?"

"I thought you deserved a reward for a job well done. As soon as you finish helping me, I can send you and your daughter anywhere you want. You can you can be a full-time father instead of part-time."

"And Rachel?"

"I thought you might want to kill the troublesome woman yourself," Heyes said.

Rachel smothered a gasp of fear. Grace clung tightly to her mother. She glared at the bad man who wanted her father to be bad, too.

"Nobody kills the mother of my child," Danny said, with menace heavy in his quiet voice. He advanced on his girls, moving closer to Rachel's guard. "All I wanted was for you to leave Grace alone."

"Danny, what are you saying?" Rachel said fearfully.

"Your daughter should be so proud, Mrs. Edwards. Her father gave up everything for her." He dropped a copy of the photo on her lap. She looked at the crosshairs over Steve and Grace's faces and the message, "You choose."

"Danny," she said, with real compassion.

Grace saw it, too, and understood. "Daddy, you really killed Uncle Steve?" she said sadly. She had denied it fiercely up to then.

"I'm sorry, baby," Danny answered. He saw a stealthy motion at the back of the upper landing. "But I couldn't choose."

"What …?" Heyes began.

"He means, Steve McGarrett isn't dead," Steve announced. "Freeze!"

_Author's note: OK, let's have a show of hands from everyone who thinks they'll freeze. No, I didn't think so either._


	4. McGarrett? McGarrett!

**Pau**

**Chapter 4: McGarrett? McGarrett!**

When Rachel's guard spun toward Steve's voice, Danny slammed his elbow into the underside of the man's jaw. The click of teeth sounded like billiard balls cracking together. Continuing his move, Danny swept his hoodie aside and drew the gun in the small of his back. He thumped the falling guard in the skull with the pistol grip to make sure he stayed down, then brought the gun up and fired at the guard with the semiautomatic who was moving beneath Steve. The man clutched his leg and fell backwards. His partner pulled him out of sight, leaving a substantial pool of blood on the polished concrete floor.

Meanwhile, Steve was covering his partner, firing at the guards who were hustling Heyes into shelter.

"Kill them! Kill the girl!" he raged. A guard shoved him behind a car as Steve's shot ricocheted off a floodlight stanchion where Heyes' head had been a second ago.

The guard with the machine gun raked the balcony with bullets, but Steve had already dropped to the floor. Steve ignored the lamps and glasses on the bar shattering behind him and popped off two quick shots. The guard fell forward on his machine gun. His partner reached for the weapon, but a shot from Danny ricocheted off the concrete next to his hand. He retreated into cover with Heyes. Danny fired two more shots into the breach of the machine gun, hoping to put it out of action.

Steve popped a new clip into his automatic and fired methodically at any sign of Heyes and his trio of guardians, forcing them to keep their heads down.

"Danny, go!"

The detective grabbed the back of Rachel's chair, called to his daughter and ran, towing his ex behind him as if she was on a sled. Grace trotted beside her father.

Between cars, out of sight, Danny used the borrowed switchblade to carefully cut Rachel free of the chair. Then, kneeling beside his daughter, he sliced through the bonds on Grace's wrists. She immediately threw her arms around his neck.

"I knew you weren't a bad guy," she said fiercely.

Danny hugged her tightly. "I love you. I'm sorry if what I did hurt you."

"I gave Tommy a black eye when he called you a cop killer," Grace said with remembered satisfaction. "But it hurt my hand," she added, showing off her bruised knuckles.

"Yeah, I make that mistake all the time myself," Danny admitted.

He directed the girls to crawl into a heavily built sedan. The proud old vehicle was solid steel construction. It looked as safe as bunker. When Grace lay on the back seat and Rachel crouched on the floor, they couldn't be seen until someone walked right up and peered in the window.

Rachel held onto Danny's hand a moment after she slid into position. "Danny, I'm sorry. I thought you'd really …"

He shook his head. "No, don't apologize. You were supposed to believe, you most of all because you were being watched. I'm sorry, I thought our plan would keep you safe. Maybe I'd better leave the planning to Steve. Straightforward, 'blow the door lock with a grenade' seems to work for him."

With the girls tucked away as safely as he could manage, Danny handed Rachel his backup gun.

"That's the one I gave you," she recognized.

"Do you still remember how to shoot it?"

"I remember," she said, baring her teeth like a mother grizzly.

"Stay quiet, don't shoot unless you have to and don't shoot me or Steve, OK? Now I've got to go help my partner."

— H50 —

Occasional gunshots were exchanged during the few moments Danny spent with his family. No one seemed to have a target. Danny could no longer see Steve, but suspected he remained on the balcony where he could cover both exits.

Danny began to move quiet as a cat toward the sound of Heyes' furious voice, still ranting at his people to kill Danny's family. A clink of sound, the accidental contact between a gun barrel and a fender, sent Danny diving and rolling beneath a heavy touring car.

The semi opened up, peppering the car door where Danny had been standing. From beneath the car, Danny fired back hitting the guard twice in the chest. He dropped, coughing. Smart enough to wear a bulletproof vest on guard duty, the man was still stunned by the impact. In no mood for mercy, Danny slammed him with his own gun butt, then plasticuffed him to the open-spoked wheel of one of the cars.

Now that he'd been spotted, Danny saw no point in keeping quiet and decided to share his worries with the guards. Maybe it would make them nervous.

"Hey Steve. You do know these cars are full of gasoline? Try not to blow us all up."

"You do know that's just a movie myth, don't you?" a spectral voice replied, echoing from nowhere and everywhere. Danny admired the spooky effect, even as he retorted, "With any normal person, I'd agree. But with you, Captain Destructo, I figure a big bang is in our future."

"You never know," Steve agreed with a spooky laugh.

One of Heyes guards leaped out of hiding, firing at the balcony where he thought Steve was. From the other side of the balcony, Steve picked him off easily with a shot to the shoulder, but under cover of this action, Heyes and his two remaining guards raced for the exit.

Steve fired ahead of the men, deliberately sending rounds into the gas tank of a classic car to demonstrate the real peril of firing into cars — slippery spills on the concrete floor.

Heyes skidded in the gasoline puddle and fell on his side. One of the guards hefted him to his feet and shoved him onward. The second guard slipped to his knees and dropped his gun. Danny pounced, throwing the guard on his face, making a splash in the gasoline puddle. Danny strapped his prisoner's wrists and ankles with the plasticuffs. The detective bounded up and pursued Heyes.

On the balcony, Steve ran toward the rear stairs to cut Heyes off.

Reaching the landing outside, Steve fired at the fleeing duo who were headed toward Heyes car. The bullets just missed the men and hit the car beyond them. The steel jacketed rounds struck sparks and Steve, being Steve, managed to find the right ratio of air to gas fumes to cause combustion. The car erupted into flames with a roar that wasn't quite an explosion.

The guard stumbled and fell. Heyes squeaked in fear and headed toward the open fields. Danny flicked one "I told you so" glance at his open-mouthed partner, then dropped the semiautomatic and set off in hot pursuit. Steve shrugged an apology that his partner didn't see, then descended to the parking lot to handcuff the submissive guard. He hauled the guard to a safe distance from the brightly burning car and bound his feet so he couldn't run; then he pulled the rear door guard and "Buttercup" over to join him.

Hearing distant sirens approaching, Steve looked for his friend but couldn't see him in the darkness. Picking up the semi, the commander returned to the barn to retrieve Rachel and Grace who could explain just who the kidnappers were around here and who were innocent undercover cops.

Steve hastily checked the fallen guards and was pleased to find that only the machine gun guard was dead. The one Danny had shot through the leg had lost a lot of blood, but his cohort had tied off the wound before picking up the semi. He in turn was wheezing and possibly had a broken rib or two from the impact of Danny's bullets. Steve handed a pad of bandages to the pale, cursing man he'd shot in the shoulder. None of the wounded men seemed to be in any immediate danger — or likely to move very far — so Steve left them where they were.

Rachel's guard had groaned his way back to consciousness and was holding his aching jaw and his aching head as if trying to keep his skull from flying apart. Steve hauled him and the gasoline soaked bodyguard out to join their friends by the auto bonfire. And that made nine accounted for, he thought with satisfaction; so it was safe to go back inside and call for Rachel and Grace.

— H50 —

Heyes had longer legs than Danny, but was not in shape. Danny was fit from running after his taller partner all the time. (All the time!) The disguised detective caught up to Heyes as he reached the trees at the edge of the fallow field. Danny grabbed the businessman's shoulder and spun him around, then punched him in the face. Heyes fell back against a tree. He touched his face and whimpered when he saw blood dripping from his nose.

Shaking his stinging fingers, Danny chided himself, "What did you just say to Grace?" He planted a second punch in Heyes midsection.

"You threatened my daughter! You threatened my friend! You kidnapped the mother of my child! And you thought it was cute!" Danny raged.

The criminal mastermind clutched his belly and made no move to fight back. As angry as he was, Danny couldn't keep hitting such a pathetic specimen. He hauled Heyes to his feet by the back of his suit coat.

Danny reached for the last of his plasticuffs and realized he'd lost them sometime during the run. He pulled his gun and pushed Heyes ahead of him.

"Back to the barn. Walk. Go on, walk! One foot ahead of the other. Walk!" he ordered.

— H50 —

The burning car made a beacon to attract Cage and the SWAT team. SWAT commander Lt. David Akutagawa and his men leaped from their armored van, and were surprised to find three plasticuffed men sitting in a neat row beside the remodeled barn — and none of them were Danny Williams. The captives didn't respond to any questions. They knew that the woman and girl could pin a kidnapping charge on them, so they'd decided their best option was to remain mute.

Before Aku could deploy his men, one of them called, "Someone's coming."

Two men entered the light cast by the burning car. One held a gun on the other. Cage and Aku couldn't see the gunman's face, had no appreciation of Steve's disguise work, but they knew the posture and the stride.

"It's Williams, and he has a hostage!" Cage exclaimed.

— H50 —

Danny marched Heyes back to the barn, forgetting he was a fugitive, not a cop.

"He's got a hostage!" someone shouted.

Heyes began to run. Danny aimed at him. Aku brought up his rifle and fired. Danny fell backwards.

"No!" Emerging from the building with Rachel and Grace, Steve saw his partner drop. "No! It's an undercover operation!" he shouted. "Danny Williams is not a criminal!"

Though he desperately wanted to check out his friend, Steve barreled past Aku, all his focus on catching Heyes. Catching the man who'd threatened Grace is what Danny would have wanted.

"McGarrett? McGarrett!" Aku exclaimed, as Steve ran past.

"McGarrett?" the other officers murmured.

"McGarrett!" Cage said furiously.

Steve passed a red Cruze that skidded to a halt in a cloud of dust. "Chin, Kono, check Danny," he ordered, pointing at their fallen friend.

Grace screamed, "Daddy!" and started toward her father. Cage caught her by the arm. He only meant to protect the girl from seeing her wounded, possibly dead, father. Grace turned on him in a flash, as she'd been trained to treat a child predator. She bit his hand ferociously. When he let her go with a cry of pain, she kicked him hard in the shin so he couldn't follow and ran for her father. Aku caught Rachel's arm and prevented her following. She quickly explained about the kidnapping.

"Danny rescued us," she insisted.

Grace threw herself on top of her father, shielding him with her body. "Danno!" And then she saw his blue eyes looking at her.

"You shouldn't be here, monkey," he wheezed, without moving.

"Daddy, are you OK?" she asked anxiously.

"A little bruised. The shot hit me in the bulletproof vest, baby, but I don't want to move. They might shoot me again."

"Not with me here," she said with determination.

"Probably not," he agreed with a smile. "Can you see what happened with the bad man?" All the trouble was for nothing, and his daughter was still in danger, if Heyes got away.

Grace looked around. "Uncle Steve tackled him," she reported. "Now he's hitting him. Lots of times," she said in satisfaction.

"Good."

"Here come Uncle Chin and Aunt Kono," Grace added.

"Even better," Danny said.

They dropped to their knees, one on either side. "Danny, how bad is it?" Kono asked.

"Vest caught it," Danny answered. "I'll get up if you'll protect me from Sgt. Cage — and Rachel," he added thoughtfully.

The two were approaching with Aku. Steve was coming from another direction, dragging a staggering Heyes by the necktie and whispering not-so-sweet nothings in his ear. Heyes was getting more and more pale, as Steve recounted everything he'd do to the man if Grace Williams so much as stubbed her toe.

Kono and Chin helped Danny to his feet.

"You were right, Danny. These are good for something," the commander said cheerfully, yanking on the tie; then forcing Heyes to his knees. "Hey, Cage," he greeted the sergeant who was holding his bleeding hand.

"McGarrett. You're looking better than the last time I saw you. So Bergman was in on this, and the paramedics."

"And the governor," Chin confirmed.

"I wish you'd told me, Daniel," Rachel said quietly.

"I just couldn't, babe. You were being watched." Danny gestured at the building where the kidnappers served as confirmation of his story. "I'm sorry. That was the worst part knowing that Grace, and you, thought I was a murderer."

"So you pretended to kill Steve and escaped from jail, risking being shot as a fugitive, all to protect our daughter?"

"And to catch Heyes," Steve added.

Rachel threw her arms around her ex-husband's neck and hugged him like she had when they were newlyweds.

"Thank you. Thank you," she said in his ear.

Cage knew it was a daydream, but it was so pleasant he had to say it aloud, "You've still broken dozens of laws — breaking out of jail, assaulting police officers, filing a false police report!"

"You filed the report," Danny retorted.

"You said you killed McGarrett."

"I said I shot him," Danny corrected. "And I did. With a blank. You said I killed him. How did I know you were wrong?"

"That still leaves plenty of charges," Cage challenged.

Danny looked at Steve. "Immunity and means," he suggested.

"Immunity and means," Steve agreed. "The governor fully sanctioned this operation. Want to speak to her? I have her on speed dial." He held out his phone with a smirk.

Danny almost felt sorry for the IA officer. That smirk was an inhumane weapon. Danny should know, it had been aimed at him often enough.

— H50 —

Two days later, Cage carried a box into Five-0 headquarters and caught the officers at play.

Danny was hunched over a plate fending off the depredations of his coworkers. Steve stood back, arms crossed. The commander had shaved his beard and dyed his hair black and looked like his pre-death self, apart from the strangely pale hair on his arms.

Danny could only wait for his hair to grow out. Light at the roots, dark on the ends, his slicked-back hair made his head seemed oddly striped. He had lost the dark shadows around his eyes, but still seemed thinner than he had been when he first received the photo. The way he was eating, he seemed determined to make up for that weight loss.

"Danny, it's only 11:30. It's too early for lunch," Steve protested.

"I've got a lot of missed meals to make up for," Danny retorted, rather proud of his alliteration. He slapped Kono's fingers and elbowed Chin away from his delicious smelling feast.

"You should have something healthy with vegetables, or you'll just get fat," Steve said disapprovingly.

"This has vegetables."

"Tomato sauce is not a vegetable!"

Danny sighed and forked aside a noodle so Steve could see the filling.

"It's got zucchini and eggplant and a little carrot all mixed up with the meat. And the sauce is homemade with chunks of tomato. It's got all the food groups, meat, dairy, grains and vegetables that you can't taste, which are always the best kind.

"Really?" Now Steve was intrigued. He snagged a fork and swooped in past Danny's guard.

"That is good!" he said; then Danny had three to fight off. He curled his arm around the plate and growled.

Cage dared to approach Danny's office.

"Cage, isn't there a law about stealing coworkers' food?" Danny asked, unabashed by the free-for-all going on around him.

The sergeant shook his head thoughtfully. "Sorry, Williams, immunity and means. I don't think I can touch them," he said drily.

Steve laughed at the turnabout and scrounged for another bite. Chin and Kono backed off, moving away from the Internal Affairs officer who had caused Chin so much grief. Cage sucked happiness from the room like a malevolent vacuum cleaner. Danny didn't like it.

"Immunity and means," Danny said pensively. "Then I don't suppose you can do anything if I stab these intruders, either."

His fork struck out like a snake and he caught Steve's finger — but just with a warning tap. Steve leaped back and sucked his finger (there was sauce on it).

"That does smell good," Cage said, lips twitching. "Where does it come from?"

"New Jersey. My mother's kitchen. It's my mom's secret recipe for making her kids eat vegetables. She thought I needed something to fatten me up after my ordeal," Danny said, remaining on guard while Steve stalked the lasagna.

"Wait, is this your mother's lasagna. Your last meal lasagna?" Chin asked.

"It is. She FedExed me three pans full and I was going to invite my friends to dinner tonight, if I can eat my lunch in peace."

Chin and Kono shared a look; then advanced on Steve, who, with his usual laser focus, had not registered Danny's words. One on either side, the cousins quickly pinned their boss' arms behind him.

"What?"

"Dinner at Danny's," Kono said hastily.

"All the lasagna you can eat, if we leave him alone now," Chin added.

"And Grace's chocolate chip cookies for dessert," Danny added to (literally) sweeten the deal.

"Oh, why didn't you say so," Steve said, relaxing. "It's too early for lunch, anyway." He backed away, suddenly all business as he faced Cage. "What can we do for you?"

"Are you always like this?"

"My people have earned some relaxation," Steve said.

"It's been a tense couple of weeks," Chin answered.

"What's in the box?" Danny asked, polishing off the last of his lasagna.

"All the files and records from your crime spree," Cage said.

"You disapprove?" Steve asked.

"Our job is to uphold the law, not make a mockery of it," Cage said coldly, as he set the box on the smart table. "I wonder if immunity and means applies to your friends in EMS and the ME's office."

"I think the governor would think so," Steve said. "In any case, the paramedics did not file a false report. Riley and Chandler took three days off for sick leave and never got around to filing a report at all."

"And Bergman?" Cage was particularly angry about the sick joke played on him by the Medical Examiner.

"He gave you a verbal summary, but didn't file a formal report either," Danny said. "And before you ask, the body he used had been donated for study. Max made sure to give it a thorough autopsy."

"So it doesn't bother you that HPD wasted hundreds of man hours searching for a false fugitive?"

Steve shrugged. "Call it a training exercise and everyone failed," he said drily. "Except Aku," he amended.

"We also solved three murders," Kono reminded Cage.

"And ended a fraud scheme that threatened pension funds throughout the state — including yours," Chin added.

"Wrong, wrong and, again, wrong," Danny said, pointing at each of his teammates in turn. "What's important is we prevented the murder of my daughter … and what's his name." He flicked his hand negligently at his boss.

Steve smirked.

Danny stalked out of his office, aiming his weaponized finger at Cage. "But 'failed' is too small a word for your sloppy, disorganized manhunt," Danny ranted, glad to finally tell Cage what he thought of him. "You neglected, you failed to keep watch on the family of the fugitive! That's the first person a fugitive runs to. That's the first step in any search for any missing person!" Danny finger jabbed at Cage, driving him across the room toward the exit. "Why did anyone leave an inexperienced IA officer in charge of a manhunt?" Danny cupped his hands as if praying for an explanation.

"Um, Danny, we didn't want them to catch you," Steve pointed out, while Chin and Kono tried unsuccessfully to hide their grins. The detective rounded on his boss, to Cage's relief.

"And you! Why is it you give an 'A' to the guy who shot me?" Danny demanded of his boss.

"Not an 'A'," Steve protested. "A 'B' at best. Aku should have killed you."

"Should? Should!" Danny saw Cage wince and begin to edge away. That was fine with Danny. The IA officer was spoiling everyone's good mood. Danny's arms revved up. Grinning, Kono and Chin sat side-by-side, ready for the show. It had been two weeks without a good Danny rant and they'd missed them. Steve crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, attempting to keep a solemn look on his face.

"He should have killed me? I should have saved myself a lot of trouble and just hired a sniper to take you out! But, no, I have to get involved in a cockamamie plan to go undercover as a fugitive!"

"It was your plan!"

"It just proves I've been exposed to you for too long. I'm suffering from McGarrettitis. An incurable desire to get myself killed in as painful a manner as possible!"

As Danny's voice grew louder and more rapid, Cage began to edge away moving ever more quickly until he was nearly running when he reached the door. Danny watched him go, first out of the corner of his eye, until it was obvious Cage wasn't going to look back. By the time the IA officer escaped the Five-0 madhouse, Danny had turned fully to watch him go, arms wrapped around his chest; but still directing his words at Steve.

When the door shut behind Cage, Danny sat on the edge of the smart table and laughed.

"Keep going," Kono begged. "I've missed it."

"I can't," Danny answered, laughing into his hand. "I was so busy watching Cage run like a rabbit, I forgot what I was saying."

"Mark it on the calendar!" Steve announced dramatically. "Danny Williams has run out of words."

The detective rounded on his partner and, to Kono's delight, proved yet again — with hand gestures and illustrations — that Steve was utterly and absolutely wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>Pau<strong>


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